


The McKinnons

by rubywallace25



Series: Words Out and Lights Gone [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubywallace25/pseuds/rubywallace25
Summary: A series of drabbles involving The McKinnon family.
Relationships: Amycus Carrow/Original Male Character(s), James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon/Original Female Character(s), Mary Macdonald/Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Words Out and Lights Gone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780561
Comments: 27
Kudos: 37





	1. The Family Holiday pt.1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [meimeimei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meimeimei/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head The McKinnons have the following faces, but you of course can imagine them any way that you like.
> 
> Marlene- Olivia Cooke.  
> Denis- Jonny Sweet.  
> Alfie- Douglas Booth.  
> Rory- Matthew Beard.
> 
> Mr McKinnon- Julian Barrat.  
> Mrs McKinnon-Orla Brady.

Summer, 1974.

Marlene dislikes the heat and spicy foods, so being cooped up with her family in a large villa in a small Spannish town is her idea of a nightmare.

Every year The McKinnons go on holiday, and almost without fail Marlene dislikes the experience.

Everyone argues.

Her parents will end up drinking too much and humiliating her with outward demonstrations of affection.

Her oldest brother Alfie, will break some poor girl's heart. He'll also be hounded for an autograph by any Qudditch fans who just happen to follow the British and Irish league.

Her second eldest brother Denis, will do something shocking/hilarious/ridiculous-probably all three at the same time. He'll also probably, break the heart of some poor boy or girl for good measure.

And her other brother Rory, will round things off by wanting to go on cultural excursions to see ancient wizarding artifacts that nobody cares about or wants to see.

Such is the burden of poor Marlene Kathleen McKinnon.

However it's not all bad, Alfie and Denis are currently fighting over the attentions of a local witch, Isabella, who just happens to have a very pretty sister just about Marlene's age called, Paloma.

"Is that a real Muggle bicycle?"

Denis asks in a voice filled with utter amazement, as he reaches out and runs his hands across the metal of the handlebars.

Marlene rolls her large brown eyes, and tightens her grip on the bike's handlebars, staking her claim.

"No, it's a dragon, Den. Yes, of course it's a real Muggle bicycle, I found it in that ditch over there."

She waves a hand dismissively in the direction of the nearby ditch, which shimmers in the heat haze of the mid afternoon.

"I don't think you should have done that, Marly, I think the local Muggle farmers leave their bicycles in the ditches during their siesta."

Rory pipes up.

He looks ridiculous wearing a white hat with the largest brim Marlene has ever seen.

Heaven for fend that some actual sunshine should touch the pallid complexion of Rory McKinnon.

"Call yourself a Slytherin."

Marlene shoots back at Rory, whose response is to frown, and later retaliate by telling either their Mum or Dad, probably their Dad.

But for now however Marlene doesn't take the slightest bit of notice.

The four of them Marlene, Rory, Denis and Aflie stand in the middle of a dusty, underused road, surrounded by golden fields under a baking Mediterranean sun.

"It's not yours Marly, put it back where you found it."

Aflie says, but less than a moment later Denis pipes up.

"Can I have a go?"

"Don't encourage her."

Alfie warns Denis darkly.

Marlene glances down at the bicycle between her legs, which she hadn't actually been brave enough to ride yet, but which she's simply walked along awkwardly between her legs.

It's with a hint of hesitation that she steps over the metal bar in the middle of the bicycle and relinquishes it to her brother.

As always Denis tackles the bicycle like everything else with utter enthusiasm and a sort of wild naivety that Marlene envies.

"This will end in tears."

Alfie warns his remaining siblings.

He is of course right and it isn't long until Denis is flat on his arse with a hole in his jeans.

It's also not long until Alfie has given in to the bicycles siren song and is wobbling nervously along the road.

As always Alfie is better than Denis, but it doesn't stop Denis from cheering him on as he repairs the hole in his jeans with a wave of his wand.

After Alfie, Marlene is the next one to try out the piece of mythical Muggle technology.

At first she hopes that it will be as easy as riding her broomstick, but her feet struggle with the peddles and she's afraid of going to fast, and in the end she wobbles to a sudden stop, not having got as far as Denis or Alfie.

They all turn to look at Rory expectantly, who still looks silly under his giant hat.

"You can't be serious."

Rory complains bitterly.

"Call yourself a Slytherin."

Marlene mocks her brother again with a teasing smile.

Rory is finally seduced onto the bicycle after much name calling, and he manages to ride the length of the road and back without falling off.


	2. The Second First Kiss

Summer 1974.

Marlene's second first kiss is on a sun drenched beach in Spain.

It's technically her second first kiss, because her actual first kiss had been with her Gryffindor classmate Dorcus Meadowes.

Dorcus, who at the time had been planning on launching herself at Frank Longbottom had wanted to get some kissing practice in before she made her move, for her part Marlene had been happy to oblige because at almost fifteen she'd felt that it was about time for her to have kissed someone.

So Marlene and Dorcus had sat together in the dormitory room, which they shared with Lily Evans, Mary McDonald and Amelia Bones and kissed.

Kissing Dorcus had been more a study of technique than anything else, especially for Dorcus, but it had cemented a growing feeling inside Marlene that boys weren't really for her.

When she'd shared her feelings with her brother Denis, his response had been to explain to her in detail the more lurid details of his love life, which included having recently shagged a local waiter called, Fabio.

No wonder Denis had disappeared for such a long time between courses.

Marlene wonders what Denis off-again/on-occasionally girlfriend, Seiya, will make of this development.

Anyway, Dorcus aside, this is Marlene's proper first kiss.

Sitting on this rocky outcrop overlooking the frankly gorgeous Mediterranean sea, which has the bluest water that she has ever seen.

She can hear the shouts of her brother's Alfie and Rory as they goad each other on out into deeper waters, while Denis and their Mum sit on the beach soaking up the sun and pretending to read.

Denis doesn't like the water and it's the only activity that he never throws himself into, preferring instead always to keep his feet planted firmly on dry land.

Marlene isn't sure where her Dad is.

However none of that matters not her Dad, or her Mum, or Alfie, or Denis, or Rory, all that matters is Paloma, the girl sitting on the rock next to her.

Paloma is pretty with dark brown skin, a band of freckles across her nose and eyes that are almost as large as Marlene's own.

Her thighs are also deliciously chunky, which is something else that Marlene likes.

Paloma leans forward.

Marlene leans forward.

Paloma closes her large brown eyes.

Marlene keeps her large brown eyes open.

Their lips meet.

And suddenly it's very different to kissing Dorcus, for one there are feelings and also spit, a lot more spit, since Marlene and Dorcus had never practiced kissing with quite so much tongue, and Paloma seems to be experienced in the art.

Marlene wants to touch Paloma everywhere and pours this into her kiss, as the two become more sloppy and desperate.

Her heart feels the way it does when she's pelting along the Quidditch pitch after a Quaffle, in fact after this she's not sure that she'll ever be able to look at a Quaffle in the same way.

Oh well, it will do James Potter and Sirius Black good to pull their fingers out and score the occasional goal for themselves, and not just leave it all to her.

Finally they come up for air with a gasp and immediately fall into a fit of giggles.

As McKinnon family holidays go Marlene would happily rate this one at least a 7 out of 10.


	3. 12 inches, Chestnut, Unicorn Tail Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is named after Alfie's wand.
> 
> Chestnut Wands have the following information about them:
> 
> Chestnut is a most curious, multi-faceted wood, which varies greatly in its character depending on the wand core, and takes a great deal of colour from the personality that possesses it. The wand of chestnut is attracted to witches and wizards who are skilled tamers of magical beasts, those who possess great gifts in Herbology, and those who are natural fliers.
> 
> For example, when paired with dragon heartstring, chestnut wands may find their best match among those who are overfond of luxury and material things, and less scrupulous than they should be about how they are obtained. Conversely, three successive heads of the Wizengamot have possessed chestnut and unicorn wands, for this combination shows a predilection for those concerned with all manner of justice.
> 
> In my head Queenie looks like Gugu Mbatha-raw, but you can imagine her any way that you like.

1979.

Alfie has no idea how he Dad sits behind a desk day after day, or more to the point, how he's managed to do it for almost forty years.

He shudders at the thought of being so confined.

Give him green spaces, a wide blue sky and speed any day.

A Quidditch pitch is where he truly belongs, which is lucky since he's been playing professionally as a chaser for Puddlemere United since he left Hogwarts.

Although at almost thirty, Alfie is starting to feel a little long in the tooth, and he knows that if he doesn't get selected to play for England in the forthcoming, highly anticipated, World Cup, then he probably never will.

All this wheels through Alfred McKinnon's mind as he makes his way across the atrium of The Ministry of Magic on his way back from seeing his Dad in The Department of The Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, who just happens to be the head of said department.

All this wheels through Alfred McKinnon's head as he makes his way across the atrium of The Ministry of Magic and sees Queenie Shacklebolt, for the first time in ten years.

She's crying.

The only time Alfie has ever seen Queenie cry is when he's been the cause of her tears.

But there she is standing in the atrium openly sobbing.

Alfie takes a step in the direction of the long line forming in front of one of the fireplaces, and then he stops, he looks at Queenie again who is just a beautiful as the last time he saw her, and she's crying.

Suddenly there's no other thought in his mind as he walks towards her.

"Queenie?"

He says her name for the first time in ten years.

Startled she looks up at him with her lovely brown eyes swimming with tears.

"Alfie?"

Her voice is filled with the same surprise Alfie had felt as seeing her again after such a long time.

He reminds himself they he didn't exactly dump her, that after Hogwarts they'd gone their separate ways, that it had been a mutual parting, but still...

"Are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?"

They ask their questions at the same time, overlapping.

"I was visiting my Dad."

"Barty Crouch has sacked me."

Their answers cross over each other, their issues with timing coming to the fore.

"That's terrible."

But to be expected, Alfie thinks to himself, after all Queenie had penned a pamphlet, which exposed the historical inaccuracies behind the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight'.

It was just like Queenie to prize history over everything else, including her own personal safety.

Because now is not the time to question the status of ancient Pure Blood families, even if in Queenie's case you yourself belong to one of the oldest.

"It's not his fault, I should have realised. I've been so stupid."

Queenie says, as she begins to dry her eyes with the back of her hands.

Remembering the handkerchief that his Mum has been encouraging him to carry around with him, Alfie presents the freshly laundered item to Queenie.

"Here, please take this."

Queenie takes the handkerchief and Alfie notes that she's not wearing a ring, wedding or engagement.

Stop it, a voice in the back of his head warns.

"Thank you."

Queenie smiles.

He'd forgotten what a lovely smile she has.

She dries her eyes.

And for the first time Alfie notices the stares from the other witches and wizards as they pass by.

The way they look at Queenie some with disgust, and others with fear, as if being close to her somehow carries a taint, and invisible danger.

He wants to do something, wants to say something, but in the end all he can think to do is...

"Do you want to get a drink? I know a bar, a Muggle bar, we could go to."

Alfie asks.

The expression on Queenie's face lightens.

"Yes. I, I would like that."

Queenie responds.

It's been ten years, since he last spoke to her, but somehow that doesn't seem to matter, because it's just easy.

Alfie and Queenie make their way back towards the fireplaces, but this time together.

Alfie's heart is still hammering as he tries to take in the faces of his brand new house, Ravenclaw.

"Shacklebolt, Regine."

He hears Professor Mcgonnigal call a name.

"Ravenclaw!"

The Sorting Hat proclaims.

His table erupts suddenly into claps and cheers.

Regine Shacklebolt settles herself into the empty space next to Alfie.

"Call me, Queenie."

She presents her outstretched hand.

"Alfie McKinnon."

When Alfie opens his eyes he feels as if he has been hit about the head with a bludger.

He swallows and his mouth feels horribly dry.

Lifting his head up from his pillow is a trial and he struggles to remember the last time that he drunk so much.

Not since the legendary weekend when his younger brother Denis, along with Denis' girlfriend Sei, had stayed with him, can Alfie remember so little of a night.

And yet...

And yet he has the distinct impression that he is not alone.

A sharp pain throbs in his temple as Alfie rolls onto his back, and as he does so, he sees her.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

Queenie says, as she finishes collecting up her remaining clothes from his bedroom floor.

This is a development that Alfie had not expected.

"No, you didn't."

He says lamely.

In the half light of his bedroom Queenie smiles, and Alfie feels something in his chest tighten.

She hasn't looked at him like that in ten years.

As a Qudditch player Alfie has never been short on female attention, he's had girlfriends, lots of girlfriends, but there's only ever been one Queenie Shacklebolt.

How had he forgotten her so easily?

"Thank you for a lovely evening."

Queenie says as she finishes getting dressed.

"You don't have to go."

I don't want you to go, Alfie thinks to himself.

Queenie shakes her head, her long dark curls falling around her shoulders in messy ringlets.

When they'd been together she'd always kept her hair short.

"Maybe, I'll see you around."

And just like that Queenie disapperates out of his bedroom.

And Alfie wonders if he'll have to wait another ten years before he sees her again.


	4. A Friend, Not A Brother.

"And you really haven't seen her since?"

Alfie is sitting in the frankly disgusting kitchen in his younger brother Denis' cramped Islington flat, where old food containers and dirty dishes seem to be breeding.

Denis was never the cleanest or most organised of his siblings, and working flat out as a healer at St. Mungo's appears to be taking it's toll.

He's never seen Denis looking so pale, or miserable or so generally unlike himself.

Alfie glances down at the steaming cup of tea in his hands and attempts to find a place on the rim, which is free from lipstick stains.

"No, she just disapparated."

Alfie buffs softly.

"So what you're saying is that the sex was so bad that she disapparated from the room rather than face you? Oh dear Alfie, I always knew that she was too good for you."

He's on the point of rebuttung the claims about his sex life, when Denis' co-worker, flat mate and occasional girlfriend, Seyia Amori, strides into the room.

She's short and pretty with long dark hair, and the sort of brown eyes that all McKinnons find it impossible not to fall in love with.

They all have a thing for brown eyes.

Alfie notes the way that Denis barely looks at her.

"I hope you're not asking Den-Den, for relationship advice, Al?"

Sei says, and Alfie can hear the unusual brittle edge in her voice.

"Alfie managed to bag himself a night with Queenie Shacklebolt and he,"

"Bag,"

Sei cuts Denis off mid explanation, with an expression of disgust marring her delicate features.

"Isn't that some horrible term for hunting that Muggles use, you should be careful Den, you don't want to start equating women with hunting trophies, nobody likes that sort of wizard."

Alfie watches as Denis' cheeks turn decidedly pink.

He's not sure that he's ever seen his brother at a loss for words before, it's both a strange and oddly illuminating experience.

And he's certain that he's never seen Denis or Sei acting like this before, out of all the couples he knows they are the ones who seem the most happy, if not particularly stable, but in love none the less, despite all of their many faults.

Alfie had always taken a great amount of reassurance at the fact that Denis, unusual and unconventional, had been able to find his perfect partner.

The atmosphere in the kitchen drops a degree or two as Denis and Sei appear to stare at each other unblinking and unspeaking, while Alfie hides behind his cup of tea.

Frankly it's a relief to hear the knock on the door.

Alfie keeps his eyes on Sei as she wanders out of the tiny kitchen, and a few moments later he hears voices, one extremely familiar and male, and the other breathly, Northern and female.

"Oh Fabian, they're lovely."

Alfie hears Sei announce in a loud and pointed tone.

Denis appears to be studying a speck a dirt on the cuff of his robes intently as Sei leads Fabian Prewett into the kitchen.

"Alfie McKinnon, you old dog!"

Fabian instantly falls upon Alfie with a back slap and a wide smile.

The tall red haired man with the large nose had been in the same year as Alfie at Hogwarts, however in Gryffindor house, not Ravenclaw.

"Alright Denis."

Fabian gives Denis a curt nod, which feels uncomfortable for all concerned. 

Alfie notes the large bouquet of flowers that Sei is clutching against her chest.

"Fab, it's been,"

"Years!"

Fabian exclaims with a hearty chuckle.

Alfie has the impression that Sei is doing everything she can possibly do to rub the flowers that Fabian has given her in Denis' face, without actually rubbing them physically in his face.

Alfie can hear a rustle and a shuffle, and remembers the other disembodied voice he has heard.

"Still playing for Puddlemere?"

Fabian asks, and Alfie is on the point of explaining that he is still playing for Puddlemere United, when a short, sandy haired woman elbows her way into the kitchen.

"Excuse me, I want to get through. I want to see my boyfriend."

Fabian steps out of the way.

With five of them the kitchen now feels unbearably claustrophobic.

The girl, who Alfie tries to place in his mind, flings herself upon Denis clinging desperately around his neck.

Rather than take the opportunity to flant his new love in front of his old, Denis gives the impression of appearing extremely forlorn.

"Alfie, you remember Pet, Petronella Honeyball."

He doesn't, but he nods anyway.

"Yes, ah, hello Petronella."

Alfie smiles weakly.

Petronella gives him a wide toothy smile, which never reaches her eyes, as she's too busy staring at Sei.

Daggers is the word, which springs immediately to his mind.

Fabian clears his throat and glances down at his pocketwatch.

"Sei, we should really go, if we're going to make that thing."

Fabian says.

With nowhere else to put them Sei deposits her flowers in the sink and then leaves the kitchen holding Fabian's hand.

From the direction of hallway Alfie can hear the unmistakable sound of Sei and Fabian kissing loudly, and then the door slams.

The mood in the kitchen lifts instantly as Denis manages to untangle Petronella from around his neck.

"It's not the first time that we've met."

Petronella pipes up happily.

Taken by surprise at this Alfie attempts to give Denis a look, but he dodges it, as he pours the dregs of his tea over Sei's flowers.

It's almost as if Denis has forgotten that he owns a wand.

Now Alfie begins to understand the mess, that the kitchen has become some battle ground between Denis and Sei, a place where neither of them will give an inch of ground to the other for fear of losing the war.

"I was at Denny's birthday party, that's when we got back together."

But that had been over a month ago, has this been going on all that time?

While Alfie tries to place Petronella's face amongst the crowd that had attended his brother's twenty-seventh birthday party, and he comes up with nothing.

Denis offers with his back to Alfie, who has never seen his brother in more of an unreadable than he has ever seen him, he should send an owl to Marly, if anyone knows what's going on then it will surely be her.

"Well, I should be off."

Alfie announces, desperate to escape the confines of his brother's flat for the first time ever.

"It was lovely to see you again, Alfie."

Petronella giggles.

While Denis simply shrugs.

Before he leaves Alfie wonders if he should play the supportive older brother role, the one he's mastered when dealing with Rory and Marly in a way that he has never quite managed with Denis.

They're not rivals, they've never been rivals, but Denis has always been more like a friend than a brother, a friend who just happens to have grown up in the same house with the same parents.

He doesn't through, in the end Alfie just leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head Sei looks like Airi Suzuki and Petronella is Cara Theobold, but of course you can imagine them any way that you like.


	5. Azkaban

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Mr and Mrs McKinnon first met.

1946.

I don't want to be with you anymore.

That sentence burns through his brain.

"Are you McKinnon?"

I think we want different things from life.

"Are you Mr McKinnon?"

He had that right, at least, he supposes bitterly.

One of them had wanted to settle down and work at The Ministry, while the other had wanted to follow the teachings of a mad, dark wizard.

THE mad dark wizard.

Consequently one of them was going to be spending an extended period in Azkaban, and yet he had been the one who was dumped.

"Are you Derek McKinnon?"

After the third time of calling Derek finally looks up from his paperwork, paperwork, which to be honest he hadn't been paying much attention to since it landed on his desk with a thunk.

A witch is staring down at him.

She has long dark hair, brown eyes and a mouth that appears to have been hexed at some point into a permanent smirk.

She smirks down at him with her arms folded across her chest.

"Why do you want to know?"

Derek asks in an already exasperated tone of voice.

"Because, I was told to give this to Derek McKinnon."

The witch says in a soft sounding Irish accent, as she waves a scroll under his nose.

Derek tugs it out of her well manicured hands.

Kathleen Ryan and she's a replacement for...

Derek swallows thickly, as he eyes the empty desk behind Kathleen.

His heart aches for the want, the need of Hamish McNair.

Of course he'd expected this, he'd known that it was coming, but did it have to be so soon?

He's not ready to share an office again with anyone...ever.

"Kathleen,"

"Kate."

The witch interrupts him.

"What?"

Derek frowns in confusion.

"I prefer to be called Kate, or Miss Ryan."

He hates her already.

"Alright, well Miss Ryan, your desk is, is that one."

He can't bring himself to look at the empty desk, so instead he waves in the general direction.

Kate suddenly takes him utterly by surprise by dropping to her knees and crouching down low next to his desk, she's holding out her wand, her wand is surprisingly long, much longer than his own.

She casts a disillusionment charm.

A moment later a tall, sturdy, wired hair main strides into the office.

He looks smug and Derek instantly hates him as well.

"Haven't seen that Ryan filly have you, old man?"

The man asks, as he radiates a nauseating amount of self-satisfaction.

No wonder that she's hinding from him, Derek wants to join her, actually he'd like to hide from everyone forever.

"Who?"

Derek says in his best imitation of a perplexed tone of voice.

The man before him arches one perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"I was told she'd been sent down here,"

He glances around the office in disgust.

"...after the Quidditch thing."

What Quidditch thing Derek wonders.

"What Quidditch thing?"

Derek casually enquires.

"Ow!"

His enquiry earns him a sharp wrap on his knee with what feels like a wand.

Did she just hit him with her wand?

He hears her trying to stifle a giggle.

Derek has almost certainly decided to give her up, when the man leering down upon him speaks again.

"Hey, aren't you,"

"No, I'm not."

Derek cuts him off, but they both know he is.

He gets up from his desk and carefully edges around Kate, as he grabs the man by the elbow and begins to lead him in the direction of the door.

"Now you must excuse me,"

Derek pauses waiting for the stranger to iinsert his own name into the proceedings.

"McGlaggen."

McGlaggen offers.

"As soon as I see Miss Ryan, I'll be sure to let her know that you are looking for her."

Derek practically pushes McGlaggen out of the door, when he turns back to face his desk Kate is brushing the dirt from the knees of her robes.

"That McGlaggen is dreadful, he really won't take no for an answer, and when he corners you under the mistletoe, well it's as if he's got more hands than a,"

"I don't care."

Derek interrupts.

He last thing he wants to be reminded of his mistletoe and Christmas and Hamish.

Azkaban, Azkaban, Azkaban.

The name of the dreadful prison spins around his head.

Kate moves out of the way as he settles himself back into his chair behind his desk.

Derek can feel her watching him as she slowly edges her way towards Hamish's vacated desk.

They both sit and say nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Derek McKinnon is a big old bisexual, if anyone is interested.


	6. The Slytherin Boy

Rory McKinnon hates parties.

This makes him somewhat of an island when it comes to The McKinnon Clan, and even his Dad, who always complains about social gatherings, still likes to have a knees up at their family's frankly ridiculous Christmases.

It's worse since they all came of age, as there's something generally distressing about seeing your younger sister so drunk that she's unable to feel parts of her face.

The other McKinnons shriek and laugh and sing, while Rory sits there still nursing his second glass of firewhiskey.

It's always been this way.

Alfie is the 'handsome one'.  
Denis is the 'funny one'.  
Marlene is the 'brave one'.  
And he's the miserable one.

The one who never joins in, the moody Slytherin stuck in the corner.

He still remembers what if felt like to be sorted, to sit on that stool, in front of the entire school, and his older brothers.

Rory's heart had been pounding so hard that he'd barely heard the voice in his head, as the Sorting Hat had hovered above him.

He'd spotted the expectant face of Alfie and Denis in the crowd, as each of them had wanted to claim him for their houses, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

Where did he want to go?

Not Gryffindor.

He had wanted to be an individual, he didn't want to be known as the younger brother of Alfie or Denis...he wanted to be..like his Dad, who had been the only Slytherin amongst five Hufflepuff sisters.

SLYTHERIN!

The Sorting Hat had bellowed.

A puzzle piece, something that he didn't know was missing had slotted into place, he WAS a Slytherin.

After the feast, Alfie and Denis had sought him out.

"Congratulations, little bro!"

Denis had said happily.

"Dad, will be really pleased that you ended up in his house."

Alfie had said with a hint of trepidation in his voice.

Rory had been the only McKinnon left at Hogwarts when it had finally been Marlene's turn to be sorted, and he'd had some insight into the way his brothers must have felt as they'd watched him.

Not for one moment did Rory think that his sister was a Slytherin, and she hadn't been a Hufflepuff either.

GRYFFINDOR!

Of course.

The McKinnons had defied expectations as each of the children had been sorted into a different house from each another.

Unlike his brothers, when it was his turn, Rory hadn't sought out Marlene at the end of the feast to congratulate her. 

As a brand new Gryffindor, Rory had felt that his sister's reputation might take a bit of a dip, if she was seen chumming around with a Slytherin.

Also he hadn't liked some of the looks he'd gotten from the more 'hard line' members of his house, the sort of people he tended to ignore and who ignored him in turn.

He'd given her a thumbs up, and the immediately felt like a prat, because he wasn't, isn't, the sort of person who did things like that with ease.

Marlene had laughed.

And that was how they had spent the remainder of Rory's time at Hogwarts, at a polite distance, with the odd wave, and the odd smile, but doing everything they could not to be seen together.

At home however, nothing changed, Rory had remained as close to Marlene as he had always been.

Now however he can feel himself drifting away from the rest of his family...

Do they know, he wonders as he stares into the amber depths his second glass of firewhiskey, do they know that Amycus Carrow, his best friend, has already tried to recruit him as a Death Eater?

A dark shadow falls over The McKinnon Clan's Christmas party.

They will never forgive him.


	7. Newlyweds or Something

The rain is hammering against their Muggle umbrellas causing them to hurry along the narrow street towards the warm, welcoming glow of the bed and breakfast.

He holds the door open for her, and in return she shakes the raindrops off her umbrella onto him.

They end up in front of a middle aged woman, who stands in front of a reception desk.

He slumps on the desk looking haggard and miserable, while she takes over, looking the exact opposite.

"I believe you have a reservation for us in the name of McKinnon."

He notices the ease in which she conducts herself, and envies her entirely.

He also notices the way in which his name seems to trip off her tongue as if they're actually married, as if they've always been married.

They are of course very much not married.

Because he's sworn of men...women and all forms of romantic attachment, and she's engaged.

And in four months she will be married and will leave the office, because whatever she thinks Erik Bagman is just the sort of man who will want his wife to attend all of his Quidditch matches.

Plus there will probably be children.

That is what most married people do have children, his parents had, had six.

Too many good witches are expected to give up their careers to rear the next generation, it's old fashioned, in his opinion at least.

He'll miss her, it's taken this long to get use to her, but Derek McKinnon will miss Kate Ryan when she's gone.

"Ah yes, I have you in room four. Do you have any luggage?"

The receptionist asks.

Yes, but would she believe them if they said it had all been condensed into Kate's handbag?

"We're newlyweds, we eloped today."

Kate replies with a smile, as she threads her arm in his.

The older woman gives them a quizzical look, peering particularly hard at him.

"I understand how it is. Congratulations."

He trails along behind Kate as they are led up a flight of stairs and then into a corridor.

Room four looks before them.

"We hope you enjoy your stay Mr and Mrs McKinnon."

The woman hands Kate the key to their room.

"Oh, we certainly shall."

Kate beams back.

"What do you think of dinner?"

Kate asks innocently from where she sits on the edge of the bed, a double, while Derek is sat in a particularly hard chair opposite her.

She'd produced a two course meal from her bag, chicken and potatoes, with a creme brulee for dessert, she can cook, which comes as something of a happy surprise as he's never seen her produce more than a sandwich or a wilted salad at her desk.

"Have you got anything else in there?"

Kate giggles and Derek feels uncomfortable for some unknown reason.

He likes it when she laughs.

"Does Bagman know that you're here with me?"

Derek doesn't know why he asks that question, it just pops straight into his mouth before he can stop himself.

"Erik, oh no, he never knows where I am. Far too busy."

She sounds wistful.

"Such is the life of an international Quidditch star."

He comments, and something on her face changes.

"As a matter of interest, why are we here, isn't this a job we could easily apparate to and from? Why are we spending the night in a Muggle hotel and why are you asking so many questions about Erik?"

He's utterly stumped.

His mouth hangs open, he can feel it.

"I've got a bottle of wine in here as well if you're interested."

Kate changes the subject, and Derek feels as if he has escaped something, and it's miserable.


	8. 10 inches, Acacia, Unicorn Tail Hair

"What's the last thing on your list, Den?"

Alfie enquires.

Denis looks down at the roll of parchment, which details the books and equipment he will need for his first year at Hogwarts.

The McKinnons all six of them, are sat in rought iron chairs outside a cafe, which has red and white awnings.

Diagon Alley is crowded and filled with sunshine.

Alfie is flipping through the pages of his 'Unfogging the Future', while Rory studies his older brother intently, having reached that age where he wants to copy everything his brothers do.

Marlene is wriggling on their Mum's lap keen to jump down and run off.

She's always running off, although at three she's also always falling over.

"All I need now is a wand."

Denis says feeling suddenly nervous.

His own wand.

Alfie and their Mum and Dad all have wands.

A wand makes you a grown-up.

Denis sees the look that passes between his parents.

"You do it, I'll only cry again."

Mum says.

That's true Denis remembers when Alfie had bought his wand and how embarrassing their Mum had been sobbing bitterly.

"Come on then lad."

Denis holds on tightly to Dad's hand as they cross from one side of the busy alley to the other leaving the rest of the family behind.

They pause outside Olivander's wand shop as a pretty girl with long dark hair skips happily out the door followed by her own Father who is wearing lurid coloured robes.

"Slow down Sei."

Denis hears the girl's Father call out after her.

She's holding out her wand.

Still feeling nervous Denis strides into the shop, which is dark and dusty, and smells of magic.

He firmly believes that magic is a thing that you can smell and nothing will convince him otherwise.

He shuffles towards the counter where an odd bewiskered man stares down at him.

Denis can feel Olivander's gaze penetrating him.

"Derek McKinnon, 11 inches, Elm, dragon hearstring, flexible."

Olivander announces.

"That's correct."

Dad replies as he shifts awkwardly from foot to foot.

Denis has noticed that Dad doesn't like people to know too much about him, so the fact that Mr Olivander can remember his wand exactly seems to unnerve him.

He wonders if Mr Olivander can remember every wand he has ever sold.

"This is my son."

Dad says proudly, resting both his large hands on Denis' shoulders.

"Another one."

Mr Olivander muses with a quirk of his snow white eyebrows.

"Step forward."

Denis steps forward.

His large brown eyes widen as a tape measure appears from thin air and unwinds down to the floor against him.

Mr Olivander studies the tape measure, before disappearing between the dark and dusty stacks of wand boxes.

"10 inches, Acacia, unicorn tail hair, unyielding."

Denis announces as he runs breathlessly back to the family's table.

"Give us a look then."

Alfie asks with interest, as Denis settles back into his vacated chair.

Denis careful places his wand box on the table and slides off the lid.

His wand is the most perfect thing that he has ever seen, and it's green.

Well greenish-brown in tone, with a row of acacia blossoms carved into the wood.

Alfie produces his own wand from the pocket of his robes and the two boys compare their wands.

"Mine is longer."

Alfie observes.

"Size isn't everything, darling."

Mum says with a smirk that neither of them understand.

Dad looks awkward again.

"May I see, darling?"

Mum asks, and Denis instantly hands over his wand.

As Mum reaches for his wand Marly's chubby hand stretches out, brushing against the wood, and drenching the table in a shower of golden sparks.

Everyone jumps back.

"Marly just did magic, with my wand!"

Denis exclaims with a jubilant smile.


	9. Amycus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is a sort of extra bit from my Wolfstar story The Amortentia Principal.  
> Anyway enjoy...

They only kiss in the dark.

The only way they can truly be themselves is under the cloak of anonymity that darkness affords.

The late hours of the night is when they find their freedom, and it's all hard angles, and desperate grasping hands.

He feels his tongue probe the inside of his mouth, the way they've kissed a hundred times before, but it never stops feeling new, and it never stops feeling dangerous.

This is madness, and yet, and yet, and yet...

There's nothing else he wants more in the world.

He must have this, without this he is utterly incomplete.

His hands snake through the darkness in an attempt to pull the man above him closer still.

They writhe together, their bodies in perfect synchronicity.

There have been others, hard to believe since he doesn't immediately seem the type to have collected so many notches on his bed post.

There are four notches on his bed post.

And the first belongs to a Ravenclaw called Lucy Drew, who he had lost his virginity at the age of sixteen, because he'd wanted to know what was so special about sex.

It turned out that with Lucy, there was absolutely nothing special about sex.

Brief, messy and disappointing for both parties, and they'd avoided each other like the plague for the rest of their time at school.

He doesn't remember the names of notches three and four only the locations, which were a public toilet and the floor of his brother's flat.

Both men and both better than Lucy Drew, he thinks that deep down he's probably always known that he was gay.

Is gay.

It's nothing unremarkable, and yet Amycus Carrow, his notch number two, always treats it as something to be hidden away, a part of their life together that can only exist in darkened corners.

It won't last.

It can't last.

And yet the idea of it coming to an end one day silently pulls him apart.

He will do anything, everything, to stave off that inevitable finish.

He'll die.

Amycus will kill him one day.

He thinks this as he feels Amycus wrap his hands around his throat.

His thumbs dig into his windpipe.

And then...

Amycus squeezes.

Thrust after thrust he chokes the life out of him.

Amycus is killing him now.

Fireworks explodes across his oxygen starved vision, first white and then red.

The red cuts through the darkness.

Amycus is killing him now.

His lungs cry out of air, while his body scream and screams and screams in such delicious torment.

He wants to die just like this with Amycus inside him, with his hands strangling what little life is left out of him.

I surrender it all to you.

And then...

He drags the cool air of the room back into his lungs as Amycus' grip goes suddenly slack.

They lie side by side, while their chests rise and fall as if they have just run some invisible race.

They don't speak, they never speak.

Amycus will kill him one day.

"It's a little early for you to start work isn't? Don't you usually roll in at mid day?"

Rita Sketter smirks, as she perches herself on the edge of his desk.

He's never liked her, which is really saying something.

Utterly self serving, utterly duplicitous, these are things he's come to expect and even admire from his house, but the fact that Rita enjoys wrapping these qualities with a bow of faux friendship is something that he detests.

They are not friends.

They have never been friends.

And this is not simply because she is three years older than him.

Rita gleams, resplendent in an iridescent green suit, which reminds him of the wing cases of a beetle.

Perhaps someone brilliant will capture Rita Skeeter in a jar one day.

"The perks of being Mummy's little assistant."

Rita grins, exposing her pearly white incisors.

He should have made more of himself.

McKinnons don't sit behind desks.

McKinnons are not dragged along by the hem of their Mother's robes.

McKinnons go out into the world and make something of themselves.

He's failing miserably, but he doesn't care.

I surrender it all to you.

Amycus...Amycus...Amycus...

"What do you want?"

He asks Rita finding his much neglected voice.

She leans across his desk and flashes the tops of her stockings as she moves.

"Well, a little bird told me,"

Rita's conspiratorial tone is cut short as the ticker tape machine at his elbow suddenly springs into life.

She reaches out and rips off a roll of parchment.

"Oh my!"

Rita exclaims in mock surprise.

The atmosphere in the office changes becoming excited and the hub of activity.

"The Hogwarts Express has been blown up."

She says with a self satisfied smirk.

"What?"

He pulls the parchment out from between her manicured talons, and reads quickly his only thoughts are with Marlene.

Ignoring Rita completely he gets up from his seat and races towards the door of his Mother's corner off, which thrusts open before he has the chance to try the handle.

"Marlene!"

"I know, get the camera I want you and Rita to,"

"Mr Rory McKinnon."

He's too busy, too frantic, to hear his name.

"Mr Rory McKinnon."

A grey faced man in a brown trench coat hovers into his line of vision.

"Yes."

He snaps back without thinking.

"I'm from the Auror Office, will you please accompany me Mr McKinnon."

He feels himself being tugged on the elbow by the man who identifies himself as an Auror.

"What business do you have here with my son?"

His Mother snaps at the stranger.

"Unhand him at once!"

She goes so far to boldly demand.

The man's grip tightens on his arm.

"Mr McKinnon is wanted for questioning in the whereabouts of Amycus Carrow."

And with that Rory feels a tug in his belly button as he is torn from his Mother's side and forcibly apperated away.

"Roll up your sleeves."

He does as he is told and unbuttons his cuffs, rolling up the material at his wrists to reveal the faint half moon shapes left behind by Amycus' nails.

They are checking to see if he has the Dark Mark, he doesn't, of course he doesn't he is not a Death Eater, but in their probing search they miss the thing that they probably should be looking for.

He is not a Death Eater, but...but...but, he has been tainted by one.

He sits in a chair in a room that reminds him oddly of the Slytherin Common Room, with a black floor and green tiles covering the walls, is it meant to put him at his ease, perhaps the room changes it's appearance to fit in best with the incumbent.

He is not at his ease, but he's not as terrified as he thought he would be, in fact he feels as if he's sitting outside himself and watching as he is questioned.

The questions are all the same, all about Amycus and where he is, but Amycus wouldn't blow up the Hogwarts Express not with Marlene on board, would he?

Would he?

He knows the true answer to that question, so he stops, he just stops thinking about it.

He pretends not to know anything, and he's learned over time to hide his thoughts so well over time that they are often mystery even to himself.

He bites his tongue to keep himself from asking anything about Marlene, because the Aurors are so thick headed that they won't remember that he works at The Daily Prophet, and will instead see his prior knowledge as some sort of admission of guilt, and the idea that he would blithely agree to let his boyfriend blow up his sister and her school friends.

He endeavours to be as useless as possible and finally, finally, they let him go.

As he waits at the door and rolls back up his sleeves he hears the unmistakable voice of his Mother, and as the door opens he see that his parents, both of them are there ready to collect him.

"Marly, what happened?"

Is the first question that he gets to ask.


	10. New Years Eve!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

"Okay so something horrible has happened to your bathroom, but it had absolutelynothingto do with me."

Marlene says as she manages to haul herself up on the sofa, where she squashes herself between her older brothers Denis and Rory.

"Are you drunk? Is she drunk?"

Rory asks nobody in particularly in a slightly panicked tone of voice.

Marlene's large brown eyes roll in her head.

"That or someone is very good at the imperious curse."

Denis muses as he ruffles his hand through her curled hair.

"She's under age."

Rory points out.

"She smells like a brewery."

The oldest of The McKinnon siblings, Alfie, chips in as he takes a swing from his brand of Muggle beer.

"Thank you, it's new."

Marlene slurs with one eye opened and the other half closed.

"She's going to regret this tomorrow."

Alfie muses with a sage nod of his head, while Denis continues to pat her on the head with an indulgent chuckle.

The four of them sit on the wide red sofa as the party swirls around them in the cramped little flat.

The topic of conversation quickly moves on from Marlene, as Alfie leans across Denis to point at Rory's glasses.

"I see you've remembered to bring your man repellent with you."

Rory pulls his glasses off his nose and pretends to clean them with his wand as he listens to the laughter of his brothers, even Marlene manages a little snort.

He ignores them all, because that's a lot easier than having to explain that he's in a sort of soul consuming love with a Death Eater.

Not particularly satisfied with the cleanliness of his lenses he slides his glasses back up his nose, and hopes that the conversation has moved passed his love life.

"What about Gid?"

It hasn't, as Denis points a tall young man with a shock of red hair and a face full of freckles who appears to be having a wonderful conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Denis' on/off girlfriend/housemate Seiya Amori.

"No, I,"

Rory makes the attempt of turning the offer down but is interrupted.

"Gideon's a rubbish kisser, but he makes up for it by having a massive,"

And for the sake of decency Denis makes a bit show of covering up their younger sister's ears and proceeding to mouth the word penis.

"How do you know?"

Alfie asks, although Rory would much rather not know and would prefer not to guess either.

"The only people that I haven't slept with in this room are you three."

Denis explains, and Rory can't help but notice just how many people are currently occupying his brother's cramped flat.

Girls and boys and goblins, all are welcome in Denis McKinnon's bed.

"But Kingsley is here."

Alfie points into the crowd.

"I know, it's so good that he could make it, he was worried that they might want to keep him late at The Ministry."

Despite himself Rory can't help but grin at the blank expression that crosses his eldest brother's painfully handsome face, how Alfie was ever sorted into Ravenclaw is anyone's guess.

"But Kingsley is your best friend, and he's Queenie's brother, he,"

Rory stops listening, and turns his attention to the bottom of his own glass of warm, flat Muggle branded beer.

He glances around at the sea of faces and notes that Denis' relationship with is probably back on again with Seiya by the way that she is beckoning him onto the dancefloor, and on the other side of the pretty Japanese girl Rory sees a familiar figure moving through the crowd.

Amycus Carrow is looking completely out of place as he over heats in the Christmas jumper that Rory had given him.

"Did you invite Amycus?"

Rory asks without thinking, as he watches Amycus fail miserable at looking casual when surrounded by so many Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.

"I had a feeling that you probably wouldn't settle for anyone else as your midnight snog."

Rory leaps quickly to his feet and hands his brother his empty glass.

"Thank you Den, I know I never tell you this, but you're a very good brother."

Rory doesn't wait to hear his brother's reply as he launches himself into the crowd.

"That colours not really working for you."

Is probably not the smoothest of opening lines.

"Absolutely not, I'm being horribly sentimental, however, I do know something that looks particularly fitting on me."

Rory gives a little yelp of surprise as Amycus catches him around the waist and hauls him forward.

"I've missed you, McKinnon."

Amycus tells him, and Rory thinks that his heart might actually explode.

The count down to midnight starts, as everyone in the room giggles and shouts together until finally...

Happy New Year!

The room explodes with brightly coloured streamers shooting out from a dozen different wands.

Back on the sofa Alfie plants a kiss on Marlene's head, while Denis pulls first Seiya and then Kingsley into what can only be described as disgustingly long snogs.

"Happy New Year."

Rory grins as he wraps his arms around Amycus' neck.

"Happy New Year, McKinnon."

They kiss.


End file.
